Which Weight Loss Diet Works Best? A New Study Ranks the Evidence

206 Jenny Craig Consumer Reviews and Complaints

Last year I lost 92 pounds on OptiFast. Nutrisystem is not lying when they say this. As at February 29, I have purchased 24 different flavours of sugar free zero calorie syrup product. I mix the choc. Who would have thought I could eat healthy food that I do not have to prepare that I actually like? I would definitely recommend them. I would really like to lose another 40 or 45 kilos.

Nutrisystem Comparisons

Still, a larger robust bank of evidence-based studies is needed. Typically, studies follow dieters for about three months, during which most people are likely to lose the most weight because they are more motivated and simply because they in a study and feel obligated to follow the diet.

Another factor that makes studying diets tricky is the fact that participants are assigned a diet. In real life, people tend to try a weight-loss program of their own choosing. Listen to the most important stories of the day.

By Alice Park April 6, The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. You've just got to watch your portions and what you eat.

You gotta be consistent and it's a mindset. You have to be ready to lose. That's the success of it. You're not just gonna have one good day and then cheat the next. Thank you for sharing your Jenny Craig experience. We are always working to develop new foods to keep our menus full of variety!

We have new items coming out at the end of this month so stay tuned for those! I was drawn to one on one as opposed to weight watchers or a group, so I decided to work with them. My very first interaction with their reps was good and I enjoyed my personal consultant. I had used Jenny Craig before and this time, I have been using their weight loss program for a year and I am three-fourths of the way there.

The meal plan is good and I like all of it especially the baked potato. Overall they have a good program. Thank you for your feedback and sharing your Jenny Craig Experience. We're happy to be taking this journey with you! You'll be at your goal in no time! I was with Jenny Craig for two years. The rep I dealt with was very knowledgeable and helpful. I had an appointment, went in and talked about the week prior and the week coming up.

I like their structure and the weekly weigh in. In regards to their meals, they had yellow for breakfast and green for lunch, but I didn't like that they mixed them all together and I didn't like their tuna kits.

In addition, the meal plan was a little too structured. They need more flexibility built into the program to be able to incorporate my own food because then, I'd get stuck on their food. I'd try to prepare my own and I'd get lost. Also, the meals were too expensive, so I stopped. Other than that, the quality of the meals was good and the biggest thing I came away with was I learned the 'portion control' where I can have my sweets as long as they're portion controlled and timed out.

Overall, I had a great experience. I made a good progress and I'm maintaining my weight. Thank you for your review. We're glad to hear about the positive experience you had with your Consultant. Jenny Craig is a structured weight management plan that helps clients maximize their weight loss while building healthy habits.

Once a client has met their goal and are on our Maintenance Program we do teach them how to incorporate their own foods to maintain their weight. If you met your goal your Consultant would be happy to help you transition to our Maintenance Program. The Jenny Craig rep I dealt with was pleasant and knowledgeable, but it is odd that she's very overweight. I do not like that the menu plan feels rigid. I wish there was a more flexibility in it.

But for the most part, the food is fantastic and delicious. Thank you for your review! Even our employees go through their own weight loss journey that we help support them with every step of the way.

Sounds like you are on our Rapid Results plan, if you feel that is not working for you let your Consultant know and you're welcome to switch to our Classic program. Jenny Craig was easy and my experience in dealing with their personal consultants was always good. The one in Oakland was very sweet and upbeat.

She was very supportive and she gave me ideas and encouragement. Since then, the meals have been quite good. I like the pasta dishes like the mac and cheese or the fettuccine Alfredo. The desserts are small but good nonetheless. I'm not a good dieter and it has nothing to do with Jenny Craig. I will lose a bunch away then I'll get off and gain it back and then lose it again.

They were always trying to keep me in check. My experience with Jenny Craig has been good. It was through my mom that I first heard about the company. The reps were motivating and they seemed to fit my needs. They were friendly and I felt comfortable. I don't like a lot of coaching so I made them aware of that. I'm pretty self-motivated, so they worked with me with what I needed. I liked the portioned meals and the fat plan per week. The mac and cheese and some of the desserts were really good.

The food was good and I felt success from the plan overall. I used Jenny Craig three or four times over a year period and it worked. But then it became a little too costly for me at the end so I had to give up the program. Jenny Craig checks in with me every now and then. If it were a bit more cost-efficient, I would be able to do it.

We have different program options you may benefit from, we're happy to give you more information regarding those programs. Recently, I did the Rapid Results and while it worked really well for me, I had some problems.

They are so rigid. If I know that if I eat the food, it always works. They have a good variety with their food and I tend to like the same things over and over. I like the breakfast ones. They used to have different pancakes but they changed the food which is another issue. I like their waffles.

They got the breakfast scramble also and I like their Anytime Bars too, which is something they give for between the meals to hold you over.

They need to expand on their dressings though. They have great mac and cheese, which they know is popular. It has been around forever. They have a little cheeseburger too which I like a lot. Their desserts are pretty good too.

Thank God they haven't taken that away. They have a chicken and potato dish which is really good and the lasagna is not bad. They have little cinnamon rolls for breakfast that are good that makes me feel that I'm not on a freaking diet.

I feel a little bit better. I know why they have to have shelf items because that travels well but I like the frozen items way better than the shelf items. I know them and they know me and they're very close to my house. I was very excited about that because I used to have to drive so far. That makes it a lot easier and they're very close to a volunteer, which is a grocery store. Thank you for your feedback and congrats on meeting your goal before the graduations!

We'll make sure to share your suggestion on more dressings with our Food Team. I have tried other weight loss companies, but I had not been completely successful.

I walked in at Jenny Craig and my first interaction with them was fine except that they were slightly understaffed. And three years ago, at the Tampa Florida center that I was really successful with, my experience was fantastic and the consultant was super! She shared a lot of her story with me and what motivated her.

She worked with me to try to figure what would motivate me, and she got tough with me when I needed it. I joined Jenny Craig again here in New Jersey and I'm having a problem with making an appointment and I sitting for minutes trying to wait for my consultant to be able to take me in.

They are understaffed and have difficulty trying to fill positions. In Florida, my center was five minutes away, but this one is a half an hour away, so I keep quitting because I get frustrated.

It's an hour round trip and then, I sit there sometimes for over a half an hour waiting. The manager is great, but the center is not managed well as far as scheduling. And as far as the sincerity level of the consultants, I feel like a number up here at the New Jersey site. But down in Florida, I felt like a person that meant something to the consultant. Still, the quality and the flavor of Jenny Craig's meals are great and that's what makes the program successful, and it works.

I really like the butternut squash ravioli, fish and chips, and the breakfast burritos. I just wish that Jenny Craig could be managed consistently so that one center is not more superior to another center as far as customer service goes. Also, the connectivity of the computers in those centers that I've been to has been terrible whether they have old computers or new ones. It's frustrating to every single consultant and the frustration flows over to the clients.

We're sitting there and done with our appointment, and the order for the food cannot be processed because all the computers are very slow. Thank you for your feedback. We're happy to hear about your success. We're going to have a Manager follow up with you regarding your experience in the New Jersey location.

We strive to provide a seamless experience no matter what Jenny Craig you attend. We will be reaching out soon. I've done Jenny Craig in the past and it worked. Their representatives are both great girls. I've only been there since February and I've reached my goal.

They are the reason that I'm down 35 pounds. They pushed me forward. I look forward to the weekly visits and I told them that they are the highlight of my week. We laugh and have a really good time. I have a good menu plan and all the food is great, and if there's a meal that I can't do like pork or fish, we substitute and it's not a problem at all.

Congrats on your weight loss, that's fantastic! We're happy to hear about the great relationship you've developed with your Consultants. I have gone back to them over the years several times. And once you stop eating the food which over a period of time is a lot of money, you tend to gain the weight back.

Other than that, the food selections are good and I enjoy them. I change every once in a while, and they bring in new foods as well. I would recommend Jenny Craig and I have told people where I go to lose weight, but I've also told them the pitfall that once you stop eating the food, you gain that weight back a lot of times.

Our Maintenance Program will help you once you met your goal. While being on Jenny Craig you're learning portion control and getting in the habit of eating several small meals throughout the day. Jenny Craig's Maintenance Program is important because it helps you maintain your goal you worked so hard to get to. A Consultant would be happy to go over this with you, please give us a call and we'll be happy to help get you scheduled.

I wanted to lose weight and I have a great experience using the Jenny Craig program on and off for 15 years. The consultants have all been wonderful. I enjoy the desserts and I have used the menu program, which works fine. The meals are good quality and they look good. Even people in my office has said that it smells good.

I've recommended people to Jenny Craig. With them, you would like the food and would also lose weight. When you stick to their program, you'll have good results.

Thank you for your review and for recommending Jenny Craig! You're right, Jenny Craig works when you stick to the program! I really like the rep whom I spoke with to get started again. She is very nice and easy to talk to and she understands when I have a crappy week. I have been on the program for only a couple of months, but I had a couple of things come up. My mom had a stroke and then my year old daughter had a baby, so it has been hard because I had to go out of town when my mom had a stroke.

A lot of the food is good and I like a lot of it. Before, they had a different chocolate cake. However, the only difficult part about it is when I have stuff come up like going out of town. If a person sticks to the plan, the program works really good. I would definitely recommend Jenny Craig to a friend. We're sorry to hear about your Mom. Please know we are always here to help and support you throughout your journey.

We wish you all the best. My very first interaction with Jenny Craig was quite emotional for me way back in the day because I was very upset.

At that point in time, I was only about pounds and when I went back in , I was In , I had gained a lot of weight before I got married due to the drama issues within family relations and that factored in a bit.

I couldn't shake the way through and I got discouraged, so I knew that going back to Jenny Craig was one thing that works for me. I did the Body for Life as well, but I was better with the pre-planned meal in the portions.

Jenny Craig is within two hours from my house and all the gals that I deal with there are very good and understanding. I've been with Jenny Craig for long enough that a lot of times I know what it is that I'm supposed to do and what I'm doing.

I'm very verbal with the process and how I'm doing, and they provide the guidance knowing that I'm not just a Jane Doe off the street that doesn't know anything. I usually go there every four weeks, but this summer, I've been on a holiday so sometimes it's five weeks. I normally deal with Lynnea on a weekly basis because I get weekly phone consults. I normally talk to her every Thursday and that goes well because it's not just how many meals are going, but also whatever else is happening with my life that affects everything else.

It has always been interesting. Sometimes I deal with one of the other gals too depending on who's scheduled. But Lynnea is very good at asking the right questions. She is understanding and supportive. There's no bashing going on, "Why didn't you stick to your plan," or "Why did this happen," or "Why did you lean off the wagon for a bit? I needed more regimens with the schedule and more discipline of what my portions are and what I need to eat.

I needed that training again. They tell me that I can have veggies and if I wanna do something, then I have to give something up in moderation. I've had to go to our head office for training sometimes and it was a process of being able to do that and still do the Jenny Craig stuff and make all that work for me. It was a good learning curve as well because it brought some real life in, even though Jenny Craig is the real food but it's the outside Jenny Craig food.

The difficult time for me is usually between the time I get off from work and the time that my husband gets home. Weekends aren't usually bad, but there are times when I'm feeling a little snacky and there's always the monthly cycle. There's no logic in there, there's no rationale, and there's no talking myself out of something. During those times, even though I don't need the chips, it doesn't matter.

My husband is very supportive and he's also wanting to lose the weight, so we have picked up different plates. We're learning portion control with him, the fact that he can eat like he is in his 20s. We purchase pretty much anything from Jenny Craig except the lemon stuff that I don't like. I also can't have the shrimp stuff because my husband is allergic to shellfish. I'm fine with anything else, except for the honey and peanut butter. I don't like those because I don't like the aftertaste.

But there's not very much that I don't like within the Jenny Craig menu. Normally, when I go to the city, I would look forward to going out for supper and my husband and I have shared meals. That is a good thing as well because a normal meal for anybody is too much, but if you share a meal, then that makes a difference.

I can still go out for supper even though I have my Jenny Craig food and I can have a side salad. I'm still eating with people, but I'm being healthier and still having my Jenny food. They got a new Blueberry square bar. It's okay but it's not for everybody. I love the Cranberry biscotti bar and I would like to see that on their menu a bit more than see a Sunshine sandwich because I don't really care for the English muffins. I've also gotten used to the butternut squash ravioli a bit more.

I'm not a big spaghetti and meatball fan, but it still tastes good. My favorites of late are either the Turkey burger or the cheeseburger, but I like all the Jenny food. There's not a whole lot on the menu that tastes like diet food and that's one of the biggest reasons why I like Jenny over some of the other ones that are out there.

Weight Watchers says a lot of with peppers, which is fine, but Jenny does the rice and the potatoes. And they've got the pasta and still got their veggies. If you don't have that variety, then you're gonna get sick with the menu. I have already recommended Jenny Craig to friends.

We're happy to hear about how Jenny Craig has helped you in your life and about the great relationship you had with your Consultant. I was able to get in on a lifetime thing but they no longer offer it. From time to time, I go back then I picked up some weight and I reapply myself. I like the choice of food from Jenny Craig and most of the foods are really tasty. I get to enjoy a wide variety of things that I normally want to eat.

I'm okay with the soups and the chicken salad but I'm not a real fan of most the shelves stuff and I chose not to take those as a possible substitution.

I like the Margarita pizzas, the flatbread pizzas and carbonara. I also like the pot pie and the macaroni and cheese which is one of my favorite. It is a pretty safe food and my favorite dessert is the triple chocolate cheesecake. However, one of the times when I went back to them I had a lot of issues with heartburn and I was taking over the counter medications on a daily basis.

I don't know if it's because of lack of the fat or just balanced food that it had these health effects to me. But within two weeks of going back I haven't had to use the heartburn stuff. I live alone and Jenny Craig works well for me. I don't have to worry about cooking for other people since I get to choose. But telephone support has some evidence in its favor: Cost per pound of weight loss: No — for about the same money, other services offer better track records. For the first two weeks, you eat three extremely low-carb meals a day plus two snacks.

You can customize menus, search a database of more than 1, recipes and get a personalized shopping list. Studies have shown that after one year, carb-restricted diets led to greater weight loss and increased heart health than low-fat diets. However, the advantage disappeared over the long term. How much can you expect to lose? Figure on 8 to 13 pounds during the two-week kick-start phase, then 1 to 2 pounds a week thereafter.

The Zone diet is mostly meat, fruits, and vegetables. You eat three meals per day plus two Zone protein-powder snacks.

A study of people in the Journal of American Medical Association found the Zone diet helped people achieve modest weight loss after one year, comparable with those on the Atkins , Weight Watchers and Ornish diets, and improved cardiac risk factors. Pricing information is noticeably, frustratingly absent from the Jenny Craig Web site. You eat three Jenny Craig meals plus a snack per day, and supplement with fruit, vegetables and dairy.

Once a week, you get a weigh-in and pep talk with a consultant — who is not a dietician and who earns commissions from selling you products. Jenny Craig has a good track record for short-term weight loss up to one year. In a UC San Diego clinical trial of dieters funded by Jenny Craig , Jenny Craig clients lost 11 percent of their initial weight after 12 months, compared with 3 percent weight loss by those who were dieting on their own.

Shipping is free the first week. The price is a cut above the competition, too. The plan tries to help you avoid a weight-loss stall out by varying the daily calorie intake between 1, and 1, While no university studies support the theory that varying caloric intake aids weight loss, the high quality of the food and the relatively large portion sizes have been praised by Health magazine, Dr.

Phil and The New York Times. Some plan users have complained of a lack of choices and menu flexibility compared to other plans, but a company spokesman says they offer more than entrees and can make substitutions to accommodate allergies and food preferences. This meal-delivery service, endorsed by Marie Osmond and Dan Marino, emphasizes foods with a low glycemic index.